Mauricio Pochettino claims Tottenham more popular than Arsenal and Chelsea in London

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has made bold claims about the club, stating that Spurs are at the same level as Liverpool and Manchester United, while being above the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal in terms of popularity. The north London club are currently second in the table, only four points adrift of Chelsea and are gunning for their first title in over 50 years.

They are also active in the FA Cup and will take on the Blues in the semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday, 22 April, making for a crunch end to the season under the Argentine. They are also 14 points ahead of the Gunners and on course to finish above them for the first time in 20 years. However, Pochettino has claimed that they are aiming for bigger things and finishing above the Gunners isn't top of their priority list.

Pochettino has changed Tottenham's fortunes in recent times, leading to two credible challenges for the title in successive seasons. They are also moving to a new stadium next season and the former Espanyol manager has his eyes set on the long haul at the club where he has earned plaudits for his ability to bring the best out of the players.

"I would love to be here for as long as possible because it's a club with history, a club that is the most popular in London, more than Arsenal and Chelsea,' he told Cadena Ser, as translated by the Daily Mail. "I'm delighted here. Tottenham is a historic club at the same level as Manchester United and Liverpool.

"Three years ago when I started this project, the idea was to reduce the difference between us and the top four. We are ahead of our project. When you analyse the last two seasons, Tottenham has been the most consistent team in the Premier League. We have achieved more points than any other team the last two seasons," he continued.